Director Vishal Chaturvedi has announced Hanuman Ansh 2 following the success of his Neem Karoli Baba biopic. The sequel will explore significant chapters from the spiritual guru’s life.
According to a Hindustan Times report, Chaturvedi revealed plans for Hanuman Ansh 2 while interacting with audiences at a multiplex in Agra. He said the next instalment will delve into the saint’s birthplace, Firozabad, while also exploring how and why he travelled to Agra, Mathura and other locations during his spiritual journey. Further details about the sequel are yet to be revealed.
Neem Karoli Baba was a Hindu spiritual teacher and an ardent devotee of Lord Hanuman. His birth name is commonly identified as Lakshman Narayan Sharma, and he was born around 1900 in Akbarpur village in present-day Uttar Pradesh. He passed away in Vrindavan on September 11, 1973.
Several stories associated with Neem Karoli Baba revolve around miracles and extraordinary experiences described by his devotees. Since these accounts largely come from devotees’ recollections, they are regarded as part of the spiritual tradition surrounding the saint rather than independently verified historical events.
Director Madhur Bhandarkar recently lauded the box-office performance of Hanuman Ansh, describing the low-budget film featuring a non-star cast as a “crucial case study” for the Indian film industry.
Actor-politician Kangana Ranaut also praised the film, describing it not as a conventional movie but as a “satsang”, or spiritual gathering, and encouraged audiences to watch it. In her review, she wrote that Hanuman Ansh brings together beautifully woven short stories from people who claimed to have had firsthand experiences with Neem Karoli Baba.
Meanwhile, Hanuman Ansh continues to enjoy an impressive run in theatres. Directed by Vishal Chaturvedi, the film opened on August 7 with an initial collection of just Rs 10 lakh but gradually gained momentum through strong word of mouth.
As per trade tracker Sacnilk, the film earned an estimated Rs 8.50 crore nett in India on Day 26, taking its total domestic nett collection to Rs 54.13 crore. Its India gross collection has reached Rs 63.82 crore.
Starring Shobinaw Satyaa in the lead role, Hanuman Ansh has emerged as an unexpected box-office success. In a notable achievement, the film’s Tuesday earnings surpassed the seventh-day collection of Yash’s gangster drama Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups, which earned Rs 8.20 crore. While the two films are vastly different in terms of scale and budget, the unexpected growth of Hanuman Ansh highlights the remarkable theatrical momentum it has built.
Made on a modest budget of around Rs 1.8 crore, Hanuman Ansh has benefited significantly from positive word of mouth, turning its steady theatrical performance into a genuine sleeper success.
